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ESWith a decisive Armani, River secured victory in La Plata Marcelo Gallardo’s team defeated Estudiantes 2-1, with a spectacular performance from the captain. The goals were scored by Facundo Colidio and Maximiliano Meza.
The game began at a blistering pace: within the first minute, Estudiantes created two very clear chances, both brilliantly saved by Franco Armani. First, he blocked a close-range effort from Tiago Palacios; then, he confidently stopped a powerful right-footed cross-shot from Alexis Manyoma. On the rebound, Eric Meza fired over the bar from outside the box. From then on, River took over.
Facundo Colidio opened the scoring with a precise left-footed strike set up by Maxi Meza. Soon after, a beautiful team move ended with Pablo Solari setting up Colidio, who laid it off for Meza to double the lead. River took full control of the game and nearly scored a third with chances from Meza and Solari. Toward the end of the half, River’s captain once again came up big, stopping two dangerous efforts from Palacios.
Just like in the first half, the home team came out determined to attack and nearly got a goal back with a run down the left by Santiago Ascacíbar. Around the 60th minute, Guido Carrillo rose to head in a right-sided Meza cross, cutting River’s lead to 2-1. Shortly after, Armani denied Estudiantes the equalizer with an excellent low save against Carrillo.
After a free kick from Santiago Arzamendia, the ball hit Franco Mastantuono’s arm, prompting referee Ariel Penel to award a penalty. However, Armani stood tall once again, stopping Carrillo’s shot and preserving River’s lead. In the final moments, following a defensive lapse, Manyoma broke free and faced Armani one-on-one, but the keeper read his intentions and denied him.
Gallardo’s team sealed the victory with Armani’s stellar performance, collecting three key points in the Liga Profesional de Fútbol. River will now play back-to-back home matches at the Mâs Monumental stadium, against San Lorenzo on December 4th and Rosario Central on December 8th.
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